Malaysia's king rebukes AG as Najib house arrest stalls
The clash between the palace and attorney general adds pressure on PM Anwar while Najib's second sentence remains unresolved.
The dispute over Najib Razak's house arrest has triggered an open clash between Malaysia's Istana Negara and the attorney general. After the RM50 million fine was paid, Najib briefly walked out of prison on Friday, but was detained again hours later after the attorney general's office intervened and sought legal clarity. On Saturday, the palace said Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar's pardon order was clear and must be carried out, warning that questioning it amounted to ignoring a royal command. The attorney general's office denied opposing the pardon and said the court must determine whether the release order in the SRC International case meant Najib's first sentence had ended, allowing the 15-year term in the separate 1MDB case to take effect immediately.